My Brother laser print outputs show lines, coming to 2 yrs. just change cartridge. Is it drum problem, should I diy change drum or buy a new one..? Din expect home laser printer life span also not long. mine is reasonable usage only, bw laser print.

If the lines are vertical, you can check or just clean the drum to see if there are any clumps of dried toner.

If the lines are horizontal, then you can measure the repeating distance between them. Different rollers inside the mechanism has different diameters, causing the defect to be repeated at a fixed distance. Your manual should have info on what component is defective (or needs some cleaning) based on that repeating distance.

Also, if yours is a B&W laser printer, I believe most of these uses an integrated cartridge which has a drum inside already. You cannot just change the drum - you simply change out the entire cartridge. Just make sure that there isn't anything else wrong first before you go and buy the expensive cartridge replacement and then find out that it's actually something else causing the problem.

MyPillow wrote:Zappy, thks for the info . Will check again - the brand is “brother”

Not just the brand. You need to check the model as well. Each model may use different cartridge models and therefore they may have different diameters for each of the rollers, eg. drum roller, transfer roller, etc. So it is model specific.

I have used both HP and Canon printers over the years. They served me quite well and I guess for a first time user HP printer seems to be the safest bet. Although I would love to try out some other alternatives like a solar powered printer.

printer had to give way suddenly it kept prompting 'carriage jam'. I did all the steps advised by hp website.

went to popular to get another one just now. hp model. $59 promotional price. the staff from popular recommended the Epson model but since I am not a heavy user, the hp one will do. my printers die every 4 years.

Are laser printers still back and white? That was the key consideration against them when evaluating 3 or 4 years ago. I've had mixed reviews with my HP and Canon printers and now living with a no-nonsense Brother. Been using "wallet-friendly" ink for a long time!